In keeping with 39 years of tradition, Santa will arrive at the Princeton Airport by plane on the morning of Christmas Eve.
The Nierenberg family, owners of the airport, will open the hanger doors to children awaiting Santa’s arrival at 11 a.m on Dec. 24. Parents are advised to bring the children earlier, as Princeton Airport Flying Tigers will be serving cocoa and cookies while local folk singer Pat McKinley leads the audience in holiday songs during the wait.
Parents who wish to have a gift waiting for their child should bring a wrapped gift with the child’s name on it in large print to the Princeton Airport lobby. Gifts should be no larger than 12 inches. If parents have more than one child participating, the gifts should be wrapped in the same paper and tied together to speed up the distribution.
Participating families will need to bring a gift for the less fortunate as well. These gifts must be new and unwrapped, and will be collected by the Mercer County Board of Social Services. Personal checks made out to the “FoodBank Network of Somerset County,” as well as canned or boxed food will also be collected at the airport. Donations from non-participants are kindly accepted as well.
The collection of the gifts will begin the day after Thanksgiving and will end on Dec. 16th to enable County workers to arrange the best matches for the needy. The gifts can be deposited in the “chimneys” in the lobby of the airport between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Once Santa’s plane lands, he will head into the hangar, along with all the participants, to distribute each gift individually. Children will also have the opportunity to take a picture on Santa’s lap. Usually, distribution is completed by 1 p.m. There is no charge for this event. The Princeton Airport is located at 41 Airpark Road, Princeton. For more information, call 921-3100 or visit princetonairport.com.
